Warren Bird with FOB Direct's material which shields wearers. Photo / Paul Estcourt

A North Shore business has teamed up with an American company to develop performance enhancing fabric that blocks electromagnetic radiation, making it hard for animals to detect humans nearby.

The fabric was initially developed to make it easier for hunters to stalk their prey but is now being used in wetsuits and in medical procedures.

FOB Direct was approached by American company Human Energy Concealment Systems (HECS) to develop the technology into a fabric which could be made into hunting suits. It took one year to perfect and an additional fabric has also been developed for the inner linings of wetsuits.

The technology was developed in the US and FOB Direct designed the fabric, which is crisscrossed with carbon fibre grids to reduce electromagnetic fields by up to 95 per cent.

FOB Direct founder and owner Warren Bird set up a sister company in China two years ago to manufacture clothing, such as swimwear, T-shirts and denim items which form the core of his business. It makes the carbon fibre fabric and suits and exports them to the US.

Since June, 7000 hunting suits have been shipped to the US.

The company’s goal is to export 20,000 to the US during 2011.

FOB Direct manufactures two types of HECS technology fabric: the camouflaged hunting fabric, which is made from polyester; and carbon fibre, which retails for $8 a metre.

The wetsuit lining, comprising spandex, nylon and carbon fibre, retails for $17 a metre.

The hunting suits cost US$149 ($198) and are not available in New Zealand but can be ordered on HECS’s website.

Bird said he was working with the US Department of Defence to develop a wetsuit for the Navy Seals that would greatly reduce sharks detecting divers.

The fabric is also being tested by cardiovascular surgeons in the US, to see if it will prevent the interference of electromagnetic radiation emitting from the different machines in the operating theatres.

Covering up

* The NZ-US developed fabric is crisscrossed with carbon fibre grids to reduce electromagnetic fields by up to 95 per cent.

* A wetsuit is being developed for US Navy Seals to reduce shark attacks on divers.

By Kelly Gregor

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/clothing-textiles-industry/news/article.cfm?c_id=151&objectid=10693892

Photo / ThinkstockA robot that reminds elderly people to take their medication and monitors their vital signs will soon be able to entertain them while encouraging exercise and mobility.

Christchurch-based gaming company Stickmen Studios has developed a game – Kung Fu Funk – that can help rehabilitate people who have suffered brain injuries.

Stickmen Studios and the University of Auckland have teamed up to customise a robot with gaming facilities that will help elderly people stay active through interactive games.

The robot, Eldercare, has been developed with the Intelligent Robot Division of South Korea’s Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute.

The aim of the robot is to reduce the strain on healthcare resources as the aging population grows and improve the lives of people who are dependent on care.

David Cotter, business development manager of UniServices – a division of Auckland University that commercialises its research, said the robot could monitor a person’s blood pressure, or insulin levels and then transmit the data to a centre using wireless connections where a nurse or doctor can access it.

The robot can also fetch and carry and monitor when a person has fallen over through a bracelet that communicates with it. It then decides whether emergency services are needed.

Cotter said the robot, which is still in a development phase, would help balance out the volume of elderly people to caregivers.

“We can use technology to help keep people active and in their own homes [for longer]. The robot can also be used to monitor spiking insulin levels and monitor readings. Telecommunication medicine is the next generation of rest homes.”

Cotter said Stickmen Studios had created physical games that made people exercise without necessarily realising it.

“The games we could put on the Eldercare could help elderly people do movement such as tai chi.”

The university is also working on a robot that will assist autistic children.

According to the Medical Technology Association of New Zealand, the global medical technology industry is worth more than $400 billion a year – that figure is set to grow by 6 to 7 per cent a year.

The collaboration between the two organisation was borne at a UCONZ – University Commercialisation Offices of New Zealand – meeting.

UCONZ is a Government-funded initiative established to encourage New Zealand’s eight universities to build greater ties with businesses and better promote their research to corporate entities.

The trade shows are held to showcase to businesses what research is being conducted at universities and how that research can help with growth and development.

The next show will be held in February 9 at AUT University on manufacturing services such as nanotechnology, clean technology and prototypes.

By Kelly Gregor

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/change-agents/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503002&objectid=10704570

Many younger New Zealanders have benefited from his research into the cause and prevention of cot death (SIDS).

In the 1980s New Zealand had one of the worst cot death rates in the world. Normal, healthy babies were mysteriously, and without warning, dying in their cots, leaving behind grieving parents to mourn them and ask why?

Dr Sprott suspected that this silent epidemic was due to some sort of environmental agent and began to research the issue. In 1986 he publicised nationwide his view that the cause of cot death was not medical but environmental. Then in 1991 he became aware of research by British scientist Barry Richardson, who had carried out tests on mattresses on which cot death babies had died.

Barry Richardson had found that the mattresses had been colonised by a common household fungus, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, which thrives in warm, damp conditions. This particular fungus can consume the elements phosphorous, arsenic and antimony, which are frequently present in mattresses and other bedding, and in the process the fungus generates extremely toxic gases. If the concentration of these gases ingested by a baby reached a critical level, it could result in the death of the baby.

This proposition is now known as the toxic gas theory for cot death.

The toxic gas theory explained all the observations about cot death which had been reported by medical researchers. For example, it explained why sleeping babies face-up reduces cot death risk. (The gases involved are more dense than air and diffuse away from a baby’s face, so a baby sleeping face-up is less likely to inhale them.) It also helped to explain the apparent association between recent vaccination and cot death. (The higher body temperature experienced by many babies after vaccination promotes fungal growth in their mattresses and bedding, thereby increasing the potential for gas generation.)

The toxic gas theory also explained why first babies in families are less likely to die of cot death than second and subsequent babies. (Owing to increased fungal growth, the risk of gas generation increases as a mattress is re-used from one baby to the next; and many parents keep the mattress obtained for their first baby and re-use it for subsequent babies). The theory also explained why the cot death rate is very high among babies of single mothers. (Single mothers are frequently less well-off than married couples, and they are much more likely to use secondhand mattresses for their babies.)

Testing of liver samples obtained during autopsies of cot death babies showed very high amounts of antimony in many samples. Antimony is not naturally present in the body, and a high concentration in body tissue demonstrates that gas generated from antimony has been ingested. The only potential source of such gas in a baby’s domestic environment is the baby’s mattress/bedding.

To many people, it seemed that the mystery of cot death had been solved: cot death could be prevented simply and inexpensively by making sure that babies slept on mattresses which were manufactured or alternatively wrapped in such a way as to prevent the baby from being exposed to gases generated from phosphorus, arsenic and antimony.

However Barry Richardson’s work was lambasted by the British medical profession because he was “not a doctor”.

In New Zealand, Dr Sprott found that the Cot Death Association opposed his efforts to bring the toxic gas theory for cot death to the attention of parents.

In 1996 Dr Sprott wrote a book called The Cot Death Cover-Up?, setting out the science of the toxic gas theory and also explaining the cot death “risk factors” and epidemiological observations which had been publicised by medical researchers. He subsequently launched a website: www.cotlife2000.co.nz

In addition, Dr Sprott worked with a New Zealand manufacturer to develop a range of infant mattresses and mattress covers which would meet the need to prevent babies from being exposed to toxic gases generated from cot mattresses. These products, the Babesafe (TM) range of mattresses and mattress covers, can be purchased from babycare retail stores in New Zealand, and are also available overseas by mail order.

New Zealand cot death rates have fallen markedly since publicity about mattress-wrapping for cot death prevention (the “Cot Life 2000 mattress-wrapping protocol”) commenced in 1995. In particular, Pakeha (NZ European) parents have enthusiastically adopted the Cot Life 2000 mattress-wrapping protocol. By the end of 2008 the nationwide cot death rate had fallen by 61%, and among NZ European babies it had fallen by about 80%. (See www.cotlife2000.co.nz/newpage2.htm)

There have been no reported cot deaths among the estimated 196,000 New Zealand babies who have slept on mattresses which comply with the Cot Life 2000 mattress-wrapping protocol. By contrast, about 990 cot deaths have occurred among babies sleeping on unwrapped mattresses (or in parallel sleeping environments). However, it is crucial to wrap the mattress the correct way and with the correct material, as inappropriate mattress wrapping may be ineffective or hazardous.

For full information on how to wrap a baby’s mattress for cot death prevention, visit www.cotlife2000.co.nz

Brain-controlled robot - Source: ONE News

Researchers at AUT University have revealed a special robot which is commanded solely by brain signals.

The researchers are part of an international group of scientists mapping brain functions and turning signals into actions.

Their creation, With, is a small and squeaky machine and runs on nine rechargeable batteries.

He is solely commanded by brain power.

It is believed that controlling robotics through the brain could lead to life changing technology.

“Brain signals can be used to control objects to help paralysed people control prosthetics and wheelchairs,” Professor Nik Kasabov told ONE News.

At the moment the team at AUT have programmed With to respond to facial movements.

The reason they use facial expressions is that comparatively they are pretty strong brain signals, and they are easy to pick up.

But With could technically be controlled by any thoughts, it is just a case of programming in more complex signals.

Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/aut-researchers-reveal-brain-controlled-robot-4015614

Insert the plastic bag through the neck and screw the top – to seal.

The bottle is made to be air-tight, such that water will not leak, the secret lies with the top and screw! This is a great idea to share. Good for us and the environment too.

Chris Haverkort with one of his trikes for children with cerebral palsy - Source: ONE News

Dozens of New Zealand children with cerebral palsy are enjoying a better quality of life thanks to a new tricycle specially designed to suit their needs.

The alternative to a wheelchair is the brainchild of a West Auckland man whose own daughter suffers from the condition.

Chris Haverkort started making the trikes 12 years ago for his daughter Brooke because he wanted her to start school with confidence.

“They’d be around there on her bike, and they’d all want to have a go,” Haverkort said.

Brooke struggles to take a few steps, but on the trike she is a force to be reckoned with and has even completed a half-marathon on three wheels.

“Every child that requires this type of equipment, should have a piece of this equipment,” said Haverkort.

With funding from the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, he has set himself up at a local mechanics where he welds custom-made parts to create something specific for cerebral palsy sufferers.

“It’s very manouverable…we’ve got different braking options for children with different abilities.”

Families get the trikes for free and pass them on as they are outgrown. Many said their children have never been more confident and gain a social interaction with people which is often missing in their lives.

If you have a child with CP and want a trike you can contact IRIS Conductive Education in Auckland on 09-846 6295 ext 846 or the Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand 0800 503 603.

Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/trikes-open-doors-special-children-3852897

Product description coming soon! Please see our articles in the Health section about Ozone and its application as a health product.

Product description coming soon! Please see our articles in the Health section about Ozone and its application as a health product.

Entries close on the 16th of January 2011, so get creating!!!